ATLANTA, GA - Junior Achievement (JA) of Georgia is proud to announce the 2026 JA Atlanta Business Hall of Fame Laureates, Claire Lewis “Yum” Arnold, Founder and CEO of Leapfrog, and Beverly Tatum, President Emerita of Spelman College.
The 36th annual JA Atlanta Business Hall of Fame will take place on February 21, 2026, at Flourish in Buckhead. In addition to the induction ceremony of Atlanta business titans, the evening will include a cocktail hour, a dessert reception, and a tribute to the ground-breaking programs JA of Georgia is bringing to the Greater Atlanta area.
Claire Lewis Arnold is the co-founder and CEO of Leapfrog, a technology services company she launched in 1998 after a distinguished career in business development and strategic growth. Before Leapfrog, she built one of Georgia’s largest privately held companies through a leveraged buyout and spent 15 years leading it as CEO, following nearly a decade in leadership roles with Coca-Cola USA. Beyond her corporate success, Claire has served on the boards of Spelman College, The Woodruff Arts Center, The Carter Center, the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, and numerous nonprofit and civic organizations. Her leadership and service have been recognized with honors such as the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Most Admired CEO in Technology, the YWCA Academy of Women induction, and multiple lifetime achievement awards. A graduate of Mary Baldwin College, she lives in Atlanta with her husband of 52 years and enjoys time in the North Carolina mountains with their three children and three granddaughters.
Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum, president emerita of Spelman College, is an award-winning psychologist and nationally recognized expert on race relations and higher education leadership. She led Spelman from 2002 to 2015, a tenure marked by innovation and growth that earned her the 2013 Carnegie Academic Leadership Award. The author of several influential books, including the best-seller “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?” and her recent “Peril and Promise,” she continues to shape conversations on race and education. Dr. Tatum currently chairs the Tull Charitable Foundation and serves on the boards of Sesame Workshop and Educational Testing Service, with past service including Morehouse College and Georgia Power. Her contributions have been recognized with election to the American Philosophical Society and the American Psychological Association’s Award for Outstanding Lifetime Contributions to Psychology.
“JA of Georgia is honored to welcome two extraordinary business leaders into our Laureate Society,” said John Hancock, President & CEO of JA of Georgia. “Yum Arnold and Beverly Tatum exemplify the leadership, vision, and integrity that inspire our students and alumni to dream bigger and achieve more.”
Arnold and Tatum will join the ranks of Atlanta’s most distinguished business leaders - past and present.
To learn more about the JA Atlanta Business Hall of Fame, or if you are interested in becoming a sponsor of the event, please email Danielle Wilkes at dwilkes@georgia.ja.org.